Observing National Social Workers Month: PennLive letters

On March 1st, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) began its annual celebration of one of the nation's largest professions. March is National Professional Social Work Month and this year's theme, "Weaving Threads of Resilience and Advocacy," emphasizes the value of using personal strengths and self-advocacy to manage serious life challenges.

In Borough of Carlisle, professional social workers are making a difference by providing essential services to individuals across the lifespan and have long been the workforce to guide people to critical resources, counseling, and helping them reach their full potential. They also provide society's safety net. And with our current economic challenges this safety net has grown to include and protect a diverse group of people from all walks of life.

Our democracy thrives when everyone has the opportunity to lead a productive and fulfilling life. For more than 100 years, the social work profession has made the psychosocial well-being of the most vulnerable its top priority because everyone deserves to dream bigger.

Recognized as a top growth profession, social work directly addresses the increased demand for health navigation, mental health services, family caregiving, child development, and veterans' assistance. There are currently more than 650,000 professionally trained social workers in the United States, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts job growth to 800,000 by the year 2020.

Since 1931, social work pioneers have been instrumental in advancing civil rights and human rights policies in America. Today, social work professionals continue to influence and improve services in hospitals, schools, businesses, military branches, government, and thousands of non-profit and community organizations across the country.